Women's Christian Temperance Union was major movement at turn of century

By Tom Emery

Today, alcohol usage is a persistent social issue, as drunk driving and domestic turmoil, among other problems, haunt American society.

It is not a new issue, and over a century ago, thousands of American women joined the fight. Those concerns gave rise to the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, a hallmark of social awareness in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The first national convention of the WCTU was held in November 1874 in Cleveland. It was the first anti-alcohol group operated exclusively by women, and remains the oldest, continuous female organization in the world.

The goals of the WCTU were to educate Americans on the negative effects of alcohol, promote legislation banning the sale of liquor, and organize women for the fight.

Members had to “solemnly promise, God helping me, to abstain from all distilled, fermented, and malt liquors, including beer, wine, and cider, and to employ all proper means to discourage the use and traffic in the same.”

Their views of alcohol were not based solely on morality. Alcohol usage was even higher in that era than today, and temperance advocates stressed the social drawbacks, including domestic violence that has been described as “endemic.”

The face of the movement was Frances Willard, the second president of the WCTU, who rose to the office in 1879 and was re-elected every year until her death in 1898. Willard’s adopted hometown of Evanston, Ill. became the center for the temperance movement in the United States.

Willard argued for female suffrage, believing that women should vote as “a means of protection of their homes from the devastation caused by legalized traffic in strong drink.”

In addition to alcohol abstinence and suffrage, the WCTU also fought for fairness in child welfare, labor, age of consent, food and drug laws, prison reform, and penalties for sexual violence against females. The group also disdained the use of tobacco.

The indomitable Willard traveled an average of 30,000 miles a year, and averaged 400 lectures annually in one 10-year period. In addition, she helped create a national audience for the WCTU’s signature newspaper, the Union Signal. In 1888, Willard created the World WCTU, also serving as its president until 1893.

True to her character, Willard pushed for a “Do-Everything” agenda, including campaigns for prohibition, female suffrage, “scientific temperance instruction” for schoolchildren, improved labor conditions, anti-polygamy laws, and other reform measures.

The WCTU has been called “the most popular, and by many accounts the most progressive, women’s association of the 19th century.”

The organizational prowess of the WCTU attracted women by the thousands. Over half of the counties in the United States had a chapter of the WCTU in 1890, and, a decade later, there were 475 WCTU clubs in Illinois alone.

One example was Nokomis, in Montgomery County, where the local chapter was established in 1879. In monthly meetings, the group discussed various issues on temperance, accompanied by prayer, scripture readings, and hymns. The Nokomis group continued their fight until disbanding in 1962.

Local chapters also left their mark with ornate water fountains, which were installed in 25 states and four countries. The group believed these fountains offered a convenient place for locals to quench their thirst, rather than heading for the taverns.

A few of these fountains, including striking examples on the grounds of the Moultrie County courthouse in Sullivan and the McLean County courthouse in Bloomington, still exist.

The WCTU maintained its influence into the 20th century, and played pivotal roles in the passage of the 18th Amendment for prohibition and the 19th Amendment, for women’s rights to vote.

Membership stood at 372,355 in 1931, though the numbers have steadily declined since. Today, the WCTU is still headquartered in Evanston and features at least one chapter in every U.S. state, as well as 36 countries worldwide.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or [email protected].